


Strange, Strange Fate

by kirschtrash



Series: Beginnings [3]
Category: Here U Are (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Embarrassed Yu Yang, Embarrassment, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff without Plot, Humor, It started funny but ended sad and then became kinda funny again, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Chapter 81, because WHY TF NOT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 02:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19141612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirschtrash/pseuds/kirschtrash
Summary: “And after five years, we meet here… It feels like fate.”There stood Li Huan, smiling at him as if he had never broken his heart before. There he stood, grey eyes glimmering like the fucking night sky, wanting to believe in a grander scheme just for the two of them.He wants to believe in a second chance.I’d be a fool if I didn’t grab it.





	Strange, Strange Fate

**Author's Note:**

> So chapter 81 of Here U Are happened. My "Angst" brain thought a little too far ahead, and well... this happened. Enjoy whatever this is??
> 
> Also hmu at [Tumblr](https://kirschtrash.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kirschtrash?lang=en) xoxo

Life is like a roller-coaster - that’s how the saying goes, right?

It has its ups, and its downs; its fast, exhilarating moments and the smoother, more calmer times. Although it’s something one can’t escape - and something one is hardly ever prepared for - in the end, it’s quite literally the ride of a lifetime.

Most would agree. Yu Yang wished he could agree. But for him, his life felt like a carnival ride that had stopped midway.

 _Dormant, and completely, utterly pointless_ , he thought, as he sat in the driver’s seat. His three other colleagues followed suit, slamming the car doors shut in almost comical unison. As he buckled his seat-belt, he heard them all talk about the movie they were supposed to watch (what was it called again?) and how it could “ _scare anyone shitless_ ”. Yu Yang doubted that, but he didn’t have it in him to argue: for the moment, he wanted to escape his routine.

 _My boring routine_ , he thought. God, his head hurt just thinking about it - wake up, go to work, file papers you don’t give two shits about, come home, sleep, and then repeat. A vicious cycle that had no intention of ending.

 _Or rather, a ride that had no intention of beginning_. The thought echoed in his mind for a moment, before it vanished. Yu Yang had to make it vanish, otherwise he’d spend his entire time reminiscing about all the choices that landed him where he was.

 _Here, in a stranger’s car, on my way to watch a movie I don’t even know the fucking name of_. Yu Yang sighed, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. He watched the streetlamps blink by as the car sped down the road, now void of vehicles. They looked like stars whizzing past them, no longer bound to the empty night sky. Dancing freely, happily.

As fanatic as the thought was, it was enough to keep him occupied.

 

It wasn’t long before they were stepping inside the city’s movie theater, and queuing up to get some refreshments before showtime. While his colleagues were too busy debating whether the book was better or the movie, Yu Yang chanced a lazy glance around himself.

 _Complete strangers - just as I suspected_ , he thought. Not a single face looked familiar, even for old time’s sake. Yu Yang was holding a drink in either hand, but he couldn’t feel how cold they were.  
By that point, he had his stare trained at the backs of strangers now lining up to enter the cinema hall. Even so, his mind was elsewhere. Even now when he looked around him, everyone was… busy. Everyone had their own person to talk to, their own feelings to tend to - in the end, everyone had their own life they were living.

Is it really their own? The thought refused to hush down in his mind, no matter how hard he stomped on it. _Are all the people I see here living the lives they want - is anybody here a victim of their own circumstance? Is anyone here forced into the life they live - and have only themselves to blame?_

 _I doubt it_ , Yu Yang concluded to himself. _There’s hardly anyone who has as many regrets as you do._

 

_I should have done this, I should have done that-_

_I should have kept my mouth shut-_

_I should have been honest-_

 

Yu Yang bit the inside of his cheek, hard enough so that the stinging pain was all he could focus on. _Not now. Not now._

He let out a deep sigh, and focused on the present. He had a movie to watch with his friends. He had now to worry about.

 

(No matter how persistent the past was.)

 

* * *

 

The movie was every bit of generic as Yu Yang had expected; cheap jump scares, obnoxiously loud background music, and ridiculously mediocre acting skills. Typical plot around demonic possession, way too many sorry attempts at body horror, and a sheer lack of originality - it was all too much for Yu Yang's brain-cells. It hadn’t even been half an hour into the movie, and he had already started feeling his eyelids getting heavy. If he hadn’t been so bored, he might have actually regretted spending his money on buying a ticket.

 _Well, at least the food here is great_ , he thought, as he shoveled a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Yu Yang had already finished his own bag, and was enjoying his colleague’s share - mostly because he was way too busy clinging onto his friend to even notice.

The movie was reaching its climax, finally. The “good guy” had to exorcise the demon out of a helpless man, but the task was proving to be close to impossible. Yu Yang had predicted that much, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t transfixed even a little bit.  
And so, there were two people, locked in a dingy basement, fighting it out till the end. The main character was bloodied and bruised, but still held up a cross defiantly, shunning the possessed man chained to a chair before him. The demon was vibrating in his seat, making the lights flicker and the walls shiver.

Hell, even his friends were quivering, as if they were possessed on their own. Yu Yang had to use up all of his willpower to not laugh out loud at the sight of three grown men shaking like a bunch of toddlers.

But then, all of a sudden, the demon let out a rumbling howl. It boomed through the entire cinema hall, and made his colleague jump in fright. But he jumped too fast, and too soon - just as he did, his elbow knocked into Yu Yang’s side, and sent his full bag of popcorn toppling over-

-over the person sitting in front of him.

_Well, shit. Just what I needed on top of a shitty movie._

Those who weren’t focused on the movie were now staring, some even giggling into their palms. Yu Yang could already feel the embarrassment and frustration boiling inside of him. But before he could rage at his friend for choosing a scary movie in the first place knowing how much of a fucking scaredy cat he can be, the stranger sitting in front of him started dusting stray pieces of popcorn off of his head, and turned around.

Yu Yang half-expected a punch to be thrown at him, and half-expected to be sent out of the hall for causing such a havoc. He had mentally prepared for the worst, and braced himself for impact-

But he didn’t meet burning eyes. No, those eyes were strangely… kind.

 

_Have I seen you before?_

 

The words were spilling out of Yu Yang before he could even help himself: “I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, _fuck_ \- I should have been more careful - I hope I didn’t ruin anything-”

He was a stuttering mess, but he stopped when the stranger raised a hand. His face was cloaked in darkness, but he could make out a shy smile: “It’s okay, don’t worry. It was a mistake, that’s all.”

 

_Why does your voice sound so familiar?_

 

The voice didn’t leave his mind when the credits had started rolling, and that soft tone didn’t leave him even when they were walking down the empty street. His colleague was apologizing profusely for getting him into such a mess, but Yu Yang didn’t care. He _couldn’t_ care, not when all he could think about were those eyes. Those kind, kind eyes.

A cool wind blew across their humble city, weaving through tall buildings that reached the sky. Almost instinctively, he turned around to stare at the lone movie theater, now a small bright dot against the dark city. Neon lights flashed bright onto a lone man, standing at the very edge of the deserted road.

His heart skipped a beat.

“Y-you guys go on, I’ll be on my own from here,” Yu Yang said, without hesitation.

He didn’t have the chance to respond to their shocked questions, because he was already running up the street again. There was something he had to do, before he regretted this too.

Yu Yang was panting when he reached the theater again, and stopped in front of the stranger.

That familiar stranger was looking down at his phone, and when he looked up, his soft grey eyes widened in surprise.

The words were out of his mouth before his brain could even register them:

“Li Huan?”

Those eyes widened even more, as the stranger finally broke the silence:

“Yu Yang? Is that you?”

His voice - _God_ , his gentle, soothing voice. No matter how warm it made his chest feel, he couldn’t keep his throat from tightening. He gulped heavily, and could only nod, as pathetic as he was - the longer he stood there, the more he could remember:

 

He had never forgotten it, after all.

 

Yu Yang, with his hand in his: _I don’t like you._

Li Huan, always in denial: _I don’t believe you._

Yu Yang, having wrenched his hand away, and forcing venom into his broken voice: _You have to believe it, Li Huan! I don’t like you, I never have._

The ache in his chest, like a knife that dug deeper as reality sunk its bare teeth into Li Huan. When he heard those cruel words, his hands were shaking like a leaf, and all he wanted to do was run to Yu Yang, hold him near-

But Yu Yang stepped away. Forced two steps away from Li Huan - like wading through quicksand - and then whispered: _You should move on, because you’re just wasting your time._

Li Huan, with his heart breaking.

Yu Yang, with his vision blurry with tears.

_It’s for the best, right? It’s for the best-_

 

Like the first ray of sunlight breaking through dark clouds, Li Huan’s smile brought him back to the present.

 

“It- it’s been so long, Yu Yang.” _Too long_ , he seemed to say.

Yu Yang nodded stiffly. Gulping dryly, he said, “Yeah, it’s been... I don't know how much time-"

"Five years.”

It was hard not to feel the ache deep in his words. It hung in the air like the blade of a guillotine. Five years? Has it really been that long? His heart felt heavy in his chest. It felt like just yesterday Yu Yang had built such a beautiful bond with Li Huan - just to throw it all away in the end. Yu Yang couldn’t believe it. How could he have stayed away from the one person who understood him the most? How could he have hurt the only person who had loved him truly?

Yu Yang hoped he’d be met by resentment, for vanishing from his life, for leaving him - abandoning him - it would make everything easier. It would make hating himself more reasonable.

But of course, Li Huan smiled again. His heart fucking hurt.

“And after five years, we meet here… It feels like fate.”

That was no fool’s thought - he truly believed it. Yu Yang felt a small smile tug his lips. Li Huan was so sure that the magical hand of fate was what led them there, in a lone city, finally reuniting.  
Could this be fate giving him a second chance? To right his wrongs, to correct past regrets? He felt almost crazy for thinking something like that - there was no way he could be that special to a universe that never seemed to care for him.

But there stood Li Huan, smiling at him as if he had never broken his heart before. There he stood, grey eyes glimmering like the fucking night sky, wanting to believe in a grander scheme just for the two of them. _He wants to believe in a second chance._

_I’d be a fool if I didn’t grab it._

And so, Yu Yang stuck out his hand, his palm outstretched:

“Can we… start over?”

 _I never stopped missing you_ , was what he truly wanted to cry out. _I need you, God I need you so fucking bad_ , was what his heart was dying to scream. But he knew he had caused too much pain, too much damage for the one person he cared for so much. There was no way he could hope to build new bridges without tending to the ruins first. He had to correct his mistakes first, before starting anew. It’s what Li Huan deserved.

 

(And until he wants me back, well... I'll wait. I'll wait forever.)

 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Huan’s skin flushed a beautiful pink. Without a moment’s pause, he nodded gently. With defiance, he grabbed Yu Yang’s hand, and gripped it tight. As if he didn’t want to let go either.

His voice was shaky, but full of conviction:

“Yes - I’d like that.”

Yu Yang could have laughed, could have cried, could have spent the entire night getting drunk over his warmth - but then, he noticed-

His eyes widened.

“Um, Yu Yang?” Li Huan asked. His eyebrow quirked up: “Is something wrong-”

Yu Yang never let him complete his sentence, for he let go of his hand, reached forward - and grabbed a stale piece of popcorn from his hair. He let it rest on his palm for the both of them to observe.

Yu Yang could already feel his face burn up when he noticed Li Huan’s shoulders shake with laughter.

“I’m sorry, alright?!” he exclaimed, stomping on the ground. “My stupid friend got scared and knocked the popcorn off of my hands - the movie wasn’t even that scary!”

But to no avail - Li Huan still couldn’t stop giggling into his hands. God, he had forgotten how rare yet wholesome his laugh was.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” said Li Huan, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. He sighed deeply - so happily - as he picked up the lone popcorn off of his palm. He turned it around in his fingers, marveling at it as if it were made of gold.

“I just… I’m amazed.”

“At what?”

He smiled softly, and then looked at Yu Yang. “How sometimes... fate can be so strange.”

Yu Yang was left speechless. He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. Neither could he let go of the warmth inside his chest, growing strong at the thought of a second chance with Li Huan.

_How strange indeed._

**Author's Note:**

> ... i don't regret writing this. Let me know in the comments if i should lmao
> 
> Until next time my loves <3


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